Cannondale's retro F-Si Throwback is achingly beautiful

Cannondale's retro F-Si Throwback is achingly beautiful

They're not cheap, but the old-school paint job special editions are gorgeous

Harking back to a bygone day where red and yellow Cannondale's were a common sight — they're back!

Tom Marvin

Tom Marvin

While we previewed Cannondale's F-Si Throwback framesets when they were announced, we've now seen them in person at Sea Otter Europe.

Cannondale F-Si
Red frame, yellow logos - a classic throwback from Cannondale - Tom Marvin
Cannondale F-Si
The F-Si is Cannondale's racey XC hardtail - Tom Marvin
Cannondale F-Si stem and fork
The view from the top - Tom Marvin
Cannondale F-Si chainstay protector
Yep, that's a carbon chainstay protector plate - Tom Marvin
Cannondale F-Si tubes
Skinny tubes save weight and give an element of comfort - Tom Marvin
Cannondale F-Si carbon protection for Lefty Ocho fork
The Lefty Ocho is an 'upside down' style fork, and has this rather lovely carbon protector for the stanchion - Tom Marvin
Cannondale F-Si Lefty Ocho logo
Cannondale's designers had some fun with this bike - Tom Marvin
Cannondale F-Si Lefty Ocho lockout
You can lock the fork out - there's an on-bar lever for that - Tom Marvin
Cannondale F-Si Lefty Ocho fork
Cannondale have colour-matched the Lefty Ocho fork - Tom Marvin
Cannondale F-Si SRAM gripshift shifter
Gripshift is not only light, it's also suitably retro! - Tom Marvin
Cannondale F-Si SRAM Level brake lever
The Level is SRAM's lightweight brake option - Tom Marvin
Cannondale F-Si SRAM Level calliper
The calliper for the Level brake uses the roadie flat-mount standard - Tom Marvin
cannondale lefty axle
Swapping wheels on the Lefty requires a knack, but it's not too hard - however remember you can repair a puncture without removing the wheel! - Tom Marvin
Cannondale F-Si Hollowgram wheels
Lightweight carbon hoops from Cannondale - Tom Marvin
Cannondale F-Si Onza Canis tyre detail
Nice little paw detail on the Canis tyre! - Tom Marvin
Cannondale F-Si's carbon bar
Cannondale's own carbon bar, and a long-ish stem give a racey position - Tom Marvin
Black Cannondale F-Si
If you don't want to go retro, you can go subtle - Tom Marvin

Fashion is so often cyclical, you only have to walk through the 'trendier' areas of your local town or city to see non-ironic flashbacks to the eighties and nineties. So it's no surprise that bike manufacturers are harking back to the good old days with some retro-inspired paint jobs.

The F-Si is Cannondale's raciest of hardtails and this particular one comes equipped with a smattering of very, very lightweight parts.

There's Cannondale's Lefty Ocho fork, its Hollowgram TR carbon wheels with tan sidewall Onza Canis tyres, a SRAM XX1 groupset with a gripshift shifter (for extra retro, and extra lightweight) and Level TLR brakes, plus a load of carbon Cannondale finishing kit thrown in for good measure.

Tom Marvin

MBUK presenter

Tom Marvin is MBUK’s YouTube presenter and podcaster, as well as a regular contributor to BikeRadar. He writes mountain bike reviews for the site, while also testing components and kit. His work as a presenter has seen him race pro riders, tackle World Cup downhill courses and attend international launch events. He has been part of the MBUK and BikeRadar family for 11 years, contributing to all aspects of tech content, including a spell working heavily on Cycling Plus magazine. In that time, he has tested hundreds of bikes and more than 1,000 products. He has been mountain biking for 25 years, with cross-country (XC) and trail riding his speciality, although he’s more than happy dipping into the world of enduro whenever there’s a chance. Tom’s photos of bikes and food covered in ketchup can be found on his Instagram account.

  • Height: 182cm
  • Bike size: Large
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